Woman Dies While Saving Her Four Children From House Fire

A mother has died while saving her four children from house fire in Bakersfield, California. Kristina Stratton was outside the building and had ran into the two-story house to rescue her children, pastor and family friend Angelo Frazier said.

One of her children woke up to discover the situation and realized she couldn’t breathe or go downstairs, where Stratton was.

So she and her siblings broke the window and escaped from the top floor.

The four children who escaped were left with minor to moderate injuries and treated at a local hospital, according to the Kern County Fire Department.

A GoFundMe page, set up by Inspire Charter School, said Stratton was a widow who homeschooled three of her children, ages 8, 9 and 10. The page had raised nearly $9,000 in donations by Friday evening.

Firefighters were called to the 10000 block of Cave Avenue just before midnight, according to the a news release. Upon arrival, they were told Stratton was still inside the burning residence.

She was found dead during a search, firefighters said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.